戰戰兢兢

See also: 战战兢兢, 戦々恐々, and 戦々兢々

Chinese

trad. (戰戰兢兢)		戰戰	兢兢
simp. (战战兢兢)		战战	兢兢
AABB-type reduplication of 戰兢／战兢

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 195 (《詩經·小雅·小旻》):

戰戰兢兢，如臨深淵，如履薄冰。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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战战兢兢，如临深渊，如履薄冰。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Zhànzhàn jīngjīng, rú lín shēnyuān, rú lǚ bóbīng. [Pinyin]

We should be apprehensive and careful,
As if we were on the brink of a deep gulf,
As if we were treading on thin ice.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhànzhànjīngjīng

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄢˋ ㄓㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄐㄧㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zin³ zin³ ging¹ ging¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhànzhànjīngjīng
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄢˋ ㄓㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄥ ㄐㄧㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhànjhànjingjing
    • Wade–Giles: chan⁴-chan⁴-ching¹-ching¹
    • Yale: jàn-jàn-jīng-jīng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jannjannjingjing
    • Palladius: чжаньчжаньцзинцзин (čžanʹčžanʹczinczin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂän⁵¹ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zin³ zin³ ging¹ ging¹
    • Yale: jin jin gīng gīng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzin³ dzin³ ging¹ ging¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: jin³ jin³ ging¹ ging¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siːn³³ t͡siːn³³ kɪŋ⁵⁵ kɪŋ⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: tsyenH tsyenH king king

Rime
Character	戰	兢
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	章 (23)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	仙 (77)	蒸 (133)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	之膳切	居陵切
Baxter	tsyenH	king
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ɕiᴇnH/	/kɨŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡ɕiɛnH/	/kɨŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ɕjænH/	/kieŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/cianH/	/kiŋ/
Li Rong	/t͡ɕiɛnH/	/kiəŋ/
Wang Li	/t͡ɕĭɛnH/	/kĭəŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡ɕi̯ɛnH/	/ki̯əŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhàn	jīng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zin3	ging1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*tar-s  tar-s  k(r)əŋ  k(r)əŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*tjans  tjans  kɯŋ  kɯŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	戰	戰	兢
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zhàn	zhàn	jīng
Middle Chinese	‹ tsyenH ›	‹ tsyenH ›	‹ king ›
Old Chinese	/*tar-s/	/*tar-s/	/*k(r)əŋ/
English	to fear	battle	cautious
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	戰	兢
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	2019	6845
Phonetic component	單	兢
Rime group	元	蒸
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	戰	兢
Old Chinese	/*tjans/	/*kɯŋ/

Idiom

戰戰兢兢

1. (ideophonic) trembling with fear; apprehensive and careful; fearful and cautious

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (戰戰兢兢):

• → Japanese: 戦(せん)々(せん)恐(きょう)々(きょう) (sensenkyōkyō)
• → Korean: 전전긍긍(戰戰兢兢) (jeonjeon'geunggeung)

See also

• 戰兢兢／战兢兢